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Torry Martin is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, comedian and author. In addition to penning humor columns for a variety of national print and online publications, Torry is the author of “Of Moose and Men” published by Harvest House Publishing and also has several comedy sketchbooks published by Lillenas Drama Publishers. Martin’s unique sense of humor caught the attention of the producers of the popular children’s radio series, “Adventures in Odyssey”, who enlisted him to lend his writing skills to the show. Torry went one step further, creating the delightful recurring character of Wooton Bassett.

If you’ve never written a screenplay before, then this is the class for you. Learn the art and craft of screenwriting from beginning to end. (67 Page handout to be emailed to attendee’s after classes.)

Workshop Presented by Torry:

What’s the Big Idea?

Two areas where writers tend to stumble when putting together a story are “the big idea” and pacing. For “the big idea,” this means, “Does this story need to be told as a book or a movie and will it keep audiences engaged for 300 pages or 90-120 minutes?” Engaging the audience, however, starts on the page. You need a reader to keep turning pages of your book or screenplay in rapid succession because the story propels them forward with energy and purpose. Readers need to see the movie as they turn pages, and if the script drags, the movie certainly will. How do you determine if your idea is “big” enough to carry a movie? And how do you make sure your script has strong pacing? In this class we will be delving into detail about the importance of the big idea and solid pacing. I’ll be using some of my own stories as examples.

Using Screenwriting Techniques to Create a Visual Novel

An overview of three-act storytelling where less is definitely more.

After Hours Workshop Presented by Torry:

Too Good to Be True/It’s Good to Be Bad – Creating a Compelling Protagonist & Antagonist

Author and actor Torry Martin delivers great tips in this interview, like the two things he asks God for before every meeting or conference, why he is anti-small-God-ism, and the clever trick he uses to remember to pray for people.